


Perfection is a Poison

by LilacTree_928



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: F/M, Implied norenmin, M/M, Mentioned Huang Renjun, Mentioned Lee Taeyong, Mentioned Seo Youngho | Johnny, Satire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-07-07 17:23:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19856080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacTree_928/pseuds/LilacTree_928
Summary: Everything is not as it seems and Lee Donghyuck has to stare death in the eyes to realize that harsh reality.





	Perfection is a Poison

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #32: In a world of darkness, without color, character A spots a trail of bright flowers that lead to a cabin in the woods. There he encounters character B who tells him he has the Potential to see colors and gives him the choice between entering another world with color where everything is possible or staying behind in the dark. Once in the new world, A discovers that not everything is as bright as it seems. Character C knows everything about it.

His mother used to tell him that he was such a bright and inquisitive child with a soft smile adorning her face as she caressed his head, lulling him to sleep. He can still hear the soft melody she hums and he can still smell the scent of vanilla and milk which never left her skin. When she died when he was nine, he made a promise that he’ll never let go of those traits of his which she adored so much. With tears trekking down his face, he beamed and pumped his chest in front of his mother’s grave, ‘ _I’ll explore a world beyond this. I’ll discover something better than this dull little community of ours, mom. I’ll find a better world!_ ’

Which led him to his current disposition. “Lee Donghyuck!” He flinched at the harshness of the voice which pounded on both his ears and head. He looked up from where he was kneeling and flinched, again, seeing the hard glare his father is directing at him. “Just until when will you continue to do these nonsensical trips of yours?! The Mayor has had enough of your antics which kept on disrupting the order of this county!” He never thought that his father could get more terrifying, but here he is, obviously proven wrong, seeing his father’s gray features darken even more with the increase of blacks in his face.

He pouted and was extremely tempted to answer back with a “ _but the mayor’s an asshole so I popped his tires_ ” and opted to merely nod his head in fake remorse. His father, not knowing any better, seemed satisfied with his son’s reaction and let him off the hook with a punishment of kneeling on salt for an hour. ‘ _I swear my knees will be hard and calloused by the time I hit twenty at this rate._ ’ Donghyuck grumbled but knows better than go against his father _again_.

The things he does, it’s not totally horrible and atrocious. He’s merely trying to explore the world beyond the walls. He was just unlucky that particular day as the hammer he threw on the wall bounced back and destroyed Mayor Kim’s window. That led to the old man to detain him for two days as punishment and in return, he kindly _fixed_ the man’s car. In his defense, it was funny seeing the fat old geezer turning deep shades of gray in anger. ‘ _That’s what happens when you keep on eyeing young Jisung like a predator on a hunt._ ’ He grumbled and shivered upon the memory when his neighbor’s son, Jisung, ‘ _who’s adorable and innocent_ ,’ performed for the mass on the recent opening of the renovated library. The fat old geezer kept on eyeing the young child and licking his lips dangerously _predatory_. “I’ll get that man one day, just he wait.”

He looked at the large wall clock and squinted his eyes to make out the gray numbers plastered on the black background. ‘ _My idiot of a father thought it’s visible to place dark gray on black. Such ingenuity._ ’ He realized that only fifteen minutes has passed since his punishment has started. “It’s still forty-five minutes of torture.” He sighed, exasperated.

Just as he decided to sing nursery rhymes to pass the excruciatingly long time left in his punishment, a strange moth passed him. He perked up, eyebrows furrowed as he inspected the strange insect flying in front of him. Then a thought crossed his mind. ‘ _Doesn’t that insect’s color resembled mom’s eyes?_ ’ Upon the realization, he hastily stood up, ignored the pain on his knees and grabbed his backpack which was placed carelessly a foot away from him. As soon as he was on his feet, the strange creature flew away. Donghyuck didn’t hesitate and ran after it.

As they were on the street, the strange insect went flying towards the direction opposite of the city hall. ‘ _Towards the walls?_ ’ Donghyuck was confused but his curiosity overpowered any sense of rationality inside him if he ever had one. There was nothing there anyway, apart from sky high walls. ‘ _Shit, what is that?_ ’

Instead of the walls he constantly encountered, a large opening was there and littered with different shades of flower, all of which are unfamiliar to him. He looked over his shoulder to see if anybody was aware of this but as he saw not a single soul on the street, he laughed at his forgetfulness. ‘ _Of course, nobody would be out right now, it’s nine p.m. for goodness sake._ ’ He shook his head and decided to inspect the flowers.

He noticed that the strange insect was nowhere to be seen as he crouched to look at the flowers properly. “You look beautiful.” He whispered as he touched one of the flowers’ petal tenderly. Curiosity has been replaced with fascination. He stood up and followed the trail of flowers. As his mind was too preoccupied with the beautiful shades of the flowers which became more frequent as he furthered down the forest, he did not notice that the wall behind him closed up.

The forest was even darker than their silent town but the terror it is supposed to induce was masked by the glow of those colorful flowers. Donghyuck did not even bother to guess what could be at the end of those flowers as he resigned on admiring each individual flora with a smile on his face. ‘ _Mom would have loved these. I would love to show her these beautiful plants._ ’ He continued on trekking the surprisingly smooth and clear pathway.

After a while, he finally found himself at the end of the pathway and staring face to face with a horrendously dark cabin. Fear suddenly surged in his veins. He took a step back and was about to let his survival instincts take over when the strange moth came into his view once more and entered the already open cabin. He looked at the beautiful flowers beside him and then back at the entrance of the dark cabin. “Everything could go wrong but who cares.” He sighed as he relented on letting his curiosity take him over.

He’s on his toes, anticipating anything, anything at all which might satiate his curiosity only to find it empty. He was already in the middle of the living room when the door suddenly slammed shut. He slapped his chest a few times to calm his erratic heartbeat. “That wind, I almost felt my heart jump out of my chest.” He panted and crouch with one of his hands on his knees.

“Sorry for that, I just have a habit for theatrics.” Donghyuck snapped his head up upon the sudden intrusion. His initial fear and shock were replaced with fascination and inquisition. He shook his head and glared hard at the _strange_ intruder. “Who the fuck are you? Where the fuck am I? And what the fuck is that strange moth?” He fired all at once but the other boy doesn’t seem to be deterred despite the profanities he just fired. Instead, the strange boy beamed at him brightly, all eye smile and such, as he took a seat on one of the couches. ‘ _It’s strange but that guy looks gorgeous- snap out of it Lee Donghyuck! You could be dying for all you know!_ ’ He hardened his glare.

The boy, which he presumed must be around his age, blatantly ignored the glaring and cursing and brightly beamed at him instead, eyes crinkling into such beautiful crescents that Donghyuck had to do a double take to calm his erratic heartbeat. “Firstly though, why don’t you sit down before we talk?” Donghyuck doesn’t wish to comply but he’s got questions and the man seems to possess the answers to his questions. So, albeit begrudgingly, he sat down to the couch where the other boy was holding his hand out. After getting seated, he gave the boy an impassive look which only earned a chuckle.

Looking at Donghyuck softly, the boy snapped his fingers, and all at once, various hues surrounded his body. The once dark cabin lit up and became filled with shades which are all strange and fascinating for Donghyuck. The gray boy gaped at what he’s seeing. “First, hello Donghyuck, I’m Jeno.” He kept that alluring eye smile of his that Donghyuck can’t help but be flustered and flush a dark grey. The boy, Jeno, chuckled at his response before gesturing around the cabin. “This place is the _Median_. This is the reality which connects your world to _my world_. Lastly, please don’t call my little butterfly a moth, she was the one who guided you.” The strange moth- butterfly, resurfaced and it flew around the gray boy’s periphery, seemingly amusing him before disappearing again the moment he blinked his eyes.

Donghyuck cannot comprehend the indications completely but one thing’s for sure, ‘ _He’s not the same as me._ ’ He suddenly walked backed to his mother’s far-fetched stories of foreign lands, foreign creatures, and foreign shades. ‘ _Maybe mom was right?_ ’ He stared down Jeno. “So why am I here?” Jeno just beamed brightly at him before snapping his fingers again which opened a door behind him, bursting with light and color. “Because you have the potential.” He answered simply.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Donghyuck erupted into a loud laughter hearing the absurdity which spurted from the boy’s mouth. He even wiped some tears from his eyes for some effect. “No offense dude, but like, me? I have the _potential_? That’s just mental.” The other boy doesn’t seem to be amused as his smile fell into something which resembles a frown. Donghyuck’s laughter dimmed before totally stopping; he gulped seeing the seriousness which basked in the boy who was so bright earlier. “So it’s real?” He croaked. Jeno merely nodded.

“Having potential means that you have the choice of whether or not you would want to take my hand and embark on a journey that will lead you to a colorful world. You can finally see again that unique and beautiful color of your mother’s eyes that you can never see here and there, you would be able to do anything and explore anything, without any restraints.” The smile Jeno gave him was dimmer than his earlier smiles but the spark his eyes holds was so bright and twinkling it physically hurt Donghyuck to think that there are actually people who’s very satisfied and happy with their lives that it joys them to talk about it.

“Will I be happy there?” He finally asked after a few beats of silence. Jeno smiled brightly and bobbed his head gleefully, looking like a happy puppy. Donghyuck can almost see a tail behind the other boy wagging in delight. ‘ _I guess I couldn’t really lose anything by entering that new world._ ’ “Please take me there.” He relented, mind full of hope and excitement.

Jeno offered his hand for the gray kid to take. As soon as he took the outstretched hand, Donghyuck felt his chest warm up. Different sparks lit up the room and he looked at them with pure fascination in his eyes. As he lifted his free hand to touch one of the sparks, he was surprised to see pigment on his arms. He looked down and saw that his gray being became filled with colors. Jeno smiled at him and the last thing he heard before his consciousness slipped was, “rest easy my friend, once you opened your eyes once more, you’ll be waking up in another world, a world full of opportunities and joy…”

He gripped the paper bag in his hands tighter, he can’t get caught, not right now. Pulling down the cloak down his face, he quickened his steps towards the dark forest in hopes of arriving not too late. Anger is surging through his veins but concern and anxiety won him over. He hopes that he’s not too late, that the system hasn’t gotten to his friend yet.

Sweat and tears is trickling down his face, adrenaline induced by panic overwhelms his whole being seeing a raven fly towards the direction of their little safe haven. He’s going as fast as he can but the curse in addition with the whole system turning against them is not helping him. After running with all his might, he finally arrived at the little cottage they call “home.” He prays to every single being out there, begging, that they spare his friend.

All of his hopes crushed as he made out a figure slumped and obviously shaking sitting on the steps of their front porch. He slowly halted. The boy looked up and he had never seen his friend this small, this _dead_. He felt his lips wobble as he lost grip on the bag of medicine he has brought.

“He’s gone. _Renjun’s gone._ ”

Groaning, he sat up and held his head in an attempt to will his massive headache away. ‘ _What headache, this must be a humongous migraine._ ’ He grumbled under his breath before deciding to simply sat up to grab some medicine in order to at least alleviate the pounding in his head. “I’m sure I still have some painkillers stacked in the medicine cabinet.” He sighed and opened his eyes waiting for it to fully adjust to his surroundings.

When his eyes finally regained focus, a gasp fell from his lips upon seeing bright shades invade his sight. He almost tumbled back had it not been for the hand that supported his back and prevented him from doing so. He snapped his head towards the owner of the hand and finding his jaw slacken seeing the male who brought him here to be such a spectacle with all the sunrays hugging his form. “Oh shit.”

Jeno chuckled, eyes crinkling into such beautiful crescents and lips curling into an amused smirk, Donghyuck felt his breath hitch. “Good morning to you too, Donghyuck.” He greeted, his voice and whole being full of mirth and joy that it’s almost a sin not to smile back at the very least. So, though uncharacteristically Donghyuck, he still managed to pull up something more of a grimace than a smile. The other male seemed satisfied though as he stretched out his hand for the newcomer to take. “Come, let’s get you ready to meet everyone.”

Donghyuck merely nodded and took Jeno’s hand without bothering to question the implications of the other’s innocent statement. ‘ _At least I’m no longer sporting a massive headache. Must be one of the perks of having that darn Potential._ ’ With a little suspicion, he followed the boy, who, now that various hues seemed to be common, possesses a very bright hair. Ignoring the heat flashes in his skin caused by having his hand held by such an attractive person, he inquired the name of the shade of the other’s hair. “Jeno, your hair looks _extremely_ bright, what do you call that shade?”

Jeno did not halt in his steps despite looking back briefly to offer Donghyuck one of his good-natured smiles. “First, now that you’re here, you have to lessen your use of the term ‘ _shade_.’ It’s not particularly wrong but try to use it when trying to discern different members of the same hue, or as commonly called here, _color_. Also, my hair is colored blond. It’s just basically some yellow colored hair toned a hundred times to at least resemble a white. That brings me back, if you’d like, you can color your hair as well.”

The new information sent Donghyuck giddy and a large grin filled his face as a newfound jump joined his steps, sending him bouncing a few millimeters into the air with each step. “Really? I can do that?” He piped and jumped a little, inching closer to Jeno’s back which earned him an amused chuckle from the other male. “Of course, although I love you having black hair, I think a little pop of color wouldn’t hurt. If you want to, that is.” Donghyuck merely bobbed his head up and down.

When they arrived in front of a large door, the newcomer was amazed at the sheer size of the room it is enclosing. It also amazed him how pleasant everybody was, greeting him and smiling brightly at him as if they’ve been friends for an eternity. It warmed his chest despite being the scenario and feeling foreign.

He was used to the constant sneers, scoffs, and disappointment from his townsfolk. Although he’s aware that it’s partly his fault, considering how odd his _explorations_ must have been to them plus the occasional disruption he had caused before. Apart from cute, little Jisung from across the street who owns the squishiest pair of cheeks, all he received was disdain and rejection since childhood. So feeling the warmth and acceptance is pleasant, despite it being new.

“You alright there?” Yeeun, a beautiful, petite woman whose hair is lighter than Jeno’s and is doing his hair, asked him kindly with a hint of worry in her voice. He was taken out of his reverie and he looked to the girl through the mirror. Understanding what she meant, he pulled a tiny smile and nodded his head. “Yeah, just thinking.”

She smiled brightly and clasped his shoulders encouragingly, also looking at him through the mirror. “Ease your mind buddy, here, thinking is totally unnecessary! Just enjoy!” She chirped which eased his mood and brightened him up as well. “I guess I should do that.” He shyly replied which made her laugh. “You’ll enjoy here.”

After three hours of choosing his clothes, styling his hair, and laughing with the cheerful ladies in the Salon (which he learned after two hours of talking with the girls), he was finally back in Jeno’s company as they exit the building they originally were.

When Jeno told him they will meet everyone, Donghyuck thought that it must be a small group of people, possibly the former’s friend, or at least that ‘everyone’ is composed of thirty people at most. Not a whole plaza brimming with people with all of the necessary officials up on the stage, sitting comfortably while chatting. At least when Jeno said ‘everyone’ and he saw the whole platform, he thought that they’ll be watching some sort of program, not become the _center_ of that program.

As Jeno pulled him beside the stage, he squeaked. “Why are we here? When you said ‘everybody,’ you don’t mean the whole population? Right?” He asked, anxiety surging in his bones at the prospect of uncertainty. His companion must have sensed his obvious discomfort as Jeno turned to him and took his face into his large, warm hands. Donghyuck felt his whole being heat up at the proximity and gesture. Looking sincerely through his eyes, probably his soul as well, Jeno smiled gently at him. “Don’t worry, nothing will go wrong. The event just had to be this grand in scale since it’s not everyday that a new person comes here, so please understand. To be honest though, I tried to talk them out of this, saying that this whole program is unnecessary, but don’t worry, once the festivities starts, you’ll enjoy being with everyone.”

Donghyuck nodded but it seemed as if Jeno wasn’t satisfied and stared him down once more. “You trust me, right?” Donghyuck felt his cheeks heat up even more as he nodded bashfully. ‘ _Where’s your sass now, Lee Donghyuck? Cat got your tongue huh? It got your tongue because an immaculate guy is out there cupping your face as if it’s glass._ ’ He willed his innate sass down.

Aside from the torturous announcement made by the city mayor, Donghyuck thought that everything and everyone was pleasant. As he was seated beside Jeno and they talked with anyone and everyone, there’s one thing that he’s sure of despite having entered the realm for not more than twelve hours max (considering that he slept, unless he merely lost consciousness), and that is everyone, old and young, are absolute darlings.

It’s giving him discomfort and fear; this humongous fondness that he’s feeling for the people he’s barely known for more than mere moments is scaring him. Back in the county, everyone was horrible and apathetic towards him, so seeing a bunch of people fussing over each other and beaming brightly at everyone feels… overwhelming. He felt himself choked up with emotions because the last time that somebody has ever showed him something akin to compassion is when his mother was still alive.

‘ _And maybe young Jisung. I wonder how he’s doing. I wish I could tell him about this world._ ’ He smiled sadly knowing that he can’t take his kind neighbor but that was quickly shaken when he was pulled up into his feet and into the dancing and joyful crowd by Jeno who was laughing as he stumbled on his feet. ‘ _This really is such a perfect world._ ’

Donghyuck saw a tip of a cloak backing into the shadows from where he was having fun. It irked him and piqued his curiosity although not for long as he was back into admiring Jeno’s glowing being.

He entered the shabby cottage and was not surprised to see Lucas, Jaemin, and Chen Le huddling together in a large cocoon of blankets on the side, in front of the television, while their eyes are blank and glossy with tears. He felt his heart clench knowing the reason for his friends’ melancholy but he couldn’t do much apart from trying to continue on living. He bit his lips, closed his eyes, then took a deep breath to collect himself.

“Guys, come on, let’s eat.” He called gently to the three who sluggishly tried to stand up. He placed down the food onto their shabby little table and approached the three to help them up. “Come on, you have to eat; you all need energy to fight _him_ off.” He quietly mumbled as he ushered them onto the dining table.

There is no silverwares nor china, the only thing they have are some wooden plates and some twigs altered to be used as chopsticks but they ate anyway. “He lured someone again, hasn’t he?” Chen Le broke the silence on the table whilst playing with his food. “Lele, stop playing with your food. Of course he would have; _that asshole always have._ ” Jaemin growled at the youngest who merely whimpered and scooted closer to Lucas who draped an arm at the youngest before throwing a warning glared at Jaemin. “Don’t displace your anger on Lele.” He growled at the younger who merely growled back.

Mark, irritated and tired, hit the table harshly though he refused to look up from his food. “Stop fighting. Your enemy aren’t each other. And yes, there is a new guy, otherwise, there’s no need for such festivities. With how his hair was colored, I’m sure he has _Potential_.” He gently dropped the bomb on his friends. Everyone around the table was angry, especially Jaemin; the younger was fuming, his face so red that he might combust.

Jaemin stood up, kicking his chair on the ground as consequence, and looks ready to bolt out. “Jaemin, take your seat. You’re not going there and making trouble.” He warned lowly. Despite the lack of volume, a deeper warning can be traced. Chen Le started tearing up and Lucas looked absolutely exhausted but Jaemin glared back at Mark menacingly. “You’re not telling me what to do! Renjun died two days ago, two days ago! Yet now, that bastard has brought another chess piece for him to manipulate and corrupt! As if we hadn’t been friends!” Jaemin started screaming, tears steadily flowing as his face showcased a mixture of pain, longing, anger, and just like the others, exhaustion.

“And what do you want to do now? Barge in the celebration and behead him with that makeshift blade of ours made from twigs?” Mark scoffed, obviously done with the whole ordeal. Lucas looks scandalized with the turn of his friend’s attitude. “Mark, don’t be like that…” He silently trailed off. Mark turned his attention on Lucas and scoffed as a painful expression marred his face. “It’s true, isn’t it? _We’re nothing against him_. Heck, we can’t even eat decently! Now, you’re implying that you want to end him? That’s a fucking fantasy, a delusion we’ve fed ourselves with!”

As he stood together with Jaemin, they had a stare off. Jaemin looked appalled and hurt with what he said and Mark has had half a heart to take back what he said and apologize, but he doesn’t wish to; it’s all facts anyway. “H-how could you? Renjun literally died for this! Yangyang was just here and he said that Xiaojun has started throwing up blood. Yet now you’re telling me that this is all a delusion? After everything we’ve been through and everyone we lost? Tell me Mark! This is a delusion?! Taeyong died trying to stop his atrocities! We were stupid not to heed his warnings but now, we have to do something, anything!” Jaemin screamed, his forehead read and his veins started popping out in anger. Mark was unphased.

“We’ll be stupider to keep on trying! Haven’t you already said it? _We kept on dying!_ Taeyong, Doyoung, Johnny, Kun, and now, Renjun. Who knows how much death Taeyong had seen before we came and now, Xiaojun’s well on his way! Haven’t we learned our lesson? He’ll keep on tormenting us with deaths until _our kind_ vanishes! He’ll keep on killing until free thinking no longer exists!” Mark fired back and the whole room turned silent.

Jaemin looked back at him, wide-eyed, as he slumped onto the ground. His stare at Mark was painful. It was Chen Le who broke that silence and stabbed the final thorn into Mark’s heart. “Among all of the people I expected to let ignorance and puppetry fester, I least expected that to be you.” The youngest let out slowly, voice all gentle and quiet. He looked up at their _leader_ , disappointment and sorrow marred in his eyes but he kept his gaze strong, despite the gauntness of his flesh, his stare was belittling. “I’m disappointed that the leader Taeyong left us with is so fragile and weak-minded. _I’m disappointed in you_. It seems like Renjun died for nothing.”

Mark realized how much he messed up and he felt as if his world is finally crumbling down. He stood up and ran into the darkness of the forest.

If there is one thing that Donghyuck hated after coming into this colorful dimension, it’s the fact that he became as transparent as a glass due to the constant reddening of his face if Jeno was so much as standing within his vicinity. ‘ _And here I thought I had been calm and collected._ ’ Despite that, he cannot really chastise himself very much knowing that his affections aren’t really unfound and only an idiot would deny Lee Jeno of his merits.

A week after arriving, Donghyuck came to a conclusion that his _Fetcher_ was one percent short of perfection. The only flaw the blond possessed was his usually off-mark humor but even then, Donghyuck can’t even complain as he’d merely turn into a blushing and stuttering mess. At least these days, he has his rapidly racing heartrate under control so as to prevent further embarrassment which Jeno never failed to take notice of and taunt him with. ‘ _It’s infuriating how I’m an idiot when I’m around him. It’s even more infuriating how I couldn’t do anything about it._ ’

His train of thoughts was interrupted when the man invading his mind materialized in front of him with that bright and beaming face of his, all eye smiles and Cheshire grin. He felt his cheeks redden. “You know, you made a good choice with that red hair of yours; it fits the whole face.” Jeno remarked and laughed as if what he said was absolutely amusing. The normalcy brought a smile up on Donghyuck’s face as his heartbeat slowly calmed down and the reddening of his cheeks slowly disappeared. “Oh shush, stop acting like you just said the most amusing line man ever conjured.” He pushed the blond back who merely guffawed and plopped beside him, looking at the vast scenery beyond them.

As silence sets between them, there’s a hint of smile that’s plaster on both of their faces. It was Jeno who broke the silence as opposed to the usual. “How do you find it here, so far?” Upon the question, Donghyuck found himself smiling widely. “It’s perfect.” He answered simply and Jeno seemed to be satisfied with his answer. This, he found strange, but the niggling feeling in his gut was pushed away as his Fetcher leaned closer, their faces centimeters away from each other. Donghyuck gulped but held his gaze.

Jeno smirked, an expression which was out of place with his usually kind demeanor, before closing the gap between them and catching Donghyuck’s lips into his. There was no heat, only gentleness and appreciation. “ _You’re perfect._ ”

Lee Donghyuck does not know how to take that statement.

Irritation, anxiety, and panic surged through his veins as he scanned his surroundings. The last memory that he could recall was bidding Jeno goodbye as he entered his apartment. Then nothing, totally nothing. Maybe a sudden jolt of pain hit him on the back of his head. Now that he remembered, he attempted to lift his hands to touch the back of his head in fear of it being cracked open but failed to do so. ‘ _At least I gotta give it to them; they’re damn smart enough to tie me up._ ’ Donghyuck rolled his eyes and groaned as the rope bruised his flesh with how tightly it was tied.

He tried to refocused his senses on his environment and with his efforts, he can finally make sense of at least his surroundings as well as the shouting from which he presumed was the room beside where he is held captive. “ _Why the fuck would you kidnap him?! We don’t do that here! What would Taeyong think if he’s here?!_ ” “ _Fuck whatever he thinks! We’re running out of time! Xiaojun is running out of life! Taeyong is not here anymore but Xiaojun still is and I’m not letting go of another one of us just because of some stupid morals a dead guy left!_ ” He made sense of the whole room aside from the shouting outside the room.

‘ _At least, I know several things: one, somebody is dying; two, I may or may not be involved in whatever solution they need; three, for somewhere that should be holding captives, this looks absolutely homely despite being shabby; and four, they’re doing a terrible job at being mysterious. Ma! What have I done wrong that I’m suffering like-_ ’ His train of thoughts was cut short when the door opened. He prevented himself from rolling his eyes and instead settled on observing and assessing the person in front of him.

A tall, lanky, and gaunt young man entered with obvious distress and exhaustion painted across his face. The newcomer then kneeled in front of Donghyuck’s seated form before looking straight into his eyes. “I’m sorry for all of… this. My friends don’t mean to hurt you, they’re just a bit _unstable_.” He apologized before untying their captive. Donghyuck seemed surprised with the sudden turn of events but before he could ask for what’s happening, another presence entered the room, looking frazzled and outraged at how he’s getting untied. Donghyuck felt his blood run cold with how cold and crazed the newcomer looked.

“Just what on earth are you doing?” The latest comer, whom Donghyuck decided to pertain to as ‘CC’ – short for calm and crazy, took ginger steps towards the two. The guy who was taking off his restraints, whom Donghyuck pertained to as ‘Gaunty,’ halted in his movements and turned towards CC. “I’m setting him free, Jaemin. This isn’t right.” ‘Gaunty’ told ‘CC’ – Jaemin, with his eyes hard and his jaws clenched. The Jaemin guy seemed to be aghast at the idea and took hard steps towards ‘Gaunty’ before taking his collar. Jaemin looked bloodthirsty that it actually terrified Donghyuck despite the obvious idiocy lying in his captivity.

Unable to let kind ‘Gaunty’ take a blow to his face, he decided to speak up. ‘ _I wish this isn’t a bad idea. Although I’m already regretting this decision, oh well-_ ’ “I promise I won’t tattle about this. Nobody will ever know what transpired here today, so please just let me go. Jeno must be incredibly worried right now.” He batted his eyelashes for double effect.

‘Gaunty’ seemed to be taken aback whereas Jaemin looked absolutely delighted that it made him even scarier than when he was looking all bloodthirsty and ready to smash ‘Gaunty’s’ skull. Donghyuck swallowed at the response he got but he did not let it show on his face. Deeming it useless to pray for their sympathy, he decided to resort into threatening. “Jeno will absolutely be mad and I’ll make sure every single one of you pay for this abduction.” He prided himself for sounding confident and not having his voice crack.

Their next reactions were not one he expected nor want to receive. ‘Gaunty’ scoffed at him while Jaemin offered him a sympathetic look. “W-what’s with those reactions? Watch me do it you guys! I swear you’ll regret-” ‘Gaunty’ stepped back, arms crossed on his chest, and cut him off. “Lee Jeno could care less that you’re with us. In fact, you’re now on his hitlist. So stop with the pathetic act and let me help you. Even if you got out of here, I doubt you’ll remain alive when he’s through with you.” The words were cutting and Donghyuck felt both his face and heart drop with the influx of information which he was just dropped with.

It was Jaemin’s turn to look at him softly as he knelt in front of him. “You were just under his spell, weren’t you?” He asked softly, as if knowing something too well that he could empathize thoroughly with the shock Donghyuck is under in. “No, no! You are all lying! You’re all messing with my head so that you can get away with this atrocity!” He started screaming, lashing out, and wriggling out of his restraints that it’s physically harming him.

“Stop wriggling, you’re bruising yourself.” It was Jaemin who restrained him this time but he paid no heed and continued on wriggling out of his restraints. His eyes lost focus as his mind was a jumbled mess, he knows that he shouldn’t let this strangers’ words affect his thinking especially towards a person he knows all too well but he can’t; not when Jaemin looked different as he uttered Jeno’s name earlier. “No! I’m getting out of here and I’ll make sure you’ll get punished for this!”

“You’re not the first one to fall under his spell and fell in love with him!” ‘Gaunty’ screamed at him, halting him in his ropes. Donghyuck directed his blank eyes at the gaunt male. “I’d be an idiot to think like that. Jeno is so attractive, I’d be a damn idiot to think nobody would have thought of pursuing him.” The two exchanged looks before smiling at each other, albeit a little grimly.

“It’s a blessing in disguise that you took him before Jeno realized what a gem he had gotten. Good job Jaem. Untie him and orient him but don’t let him out of your sight.” ‘Gaunty’ gave him a final look over before leaving the room. Jaemin scoffed but a smile was playing on his lips. ‘ _He’s actually looking a bit better than when he looked all bloodlusting and angry._ ’ It still is unsettling with how sorrowful and melancholic it looked.

Despite the lack of understanding, Donghyuck felt his heart clench seeing the intense sadness in the eyes of his captors. ‘ _Ma, I’m eternally screwed. Why must you raise me to be such an empathetic person?_ ’ He refused to crack though and continued on glaring at the male who finished untying him.

After being set free, Donghyuck thought of bolting right then and there because that will give him the advantage of having the element of surprise. However, his train of thoughts was cut short when Jaemin placed his hand on his shoulders, firmly shaking his head. “If you’re thinking of escaping, I suggest you do not.” This flared up Donghyuck’s temper and he brushed the hand away harshly. Standing up, he tried to stare down the other as much as his height deficit could suffice. “And what are you going to do about it? Kill me?” He snapped harshly.

Jaemin, despite the animosity he had shown earlier, doesn’t seem hellbent on killing him and shook his head before staring straight into his eyes. “I won’t. The people here never kill but Lee Jeno and his staffs will. He’ll probably dissect you or put a chip on your nape in order to control your chromosomes-” This sent Donghyuck into a frenzy. “Wait, what?” At his confusion, Jaemin merely looked at him understandingly before taking a step back.

“If you promise not to be brash, I promise to get Mark to explain this whole world to you.” He offered at the confused newcomer who blankly stared at him at the mention of the new name. Sighing, Jaemin sat beside him on the bed. “It was the guy who left.” “Oh, Gaunty.” Jaemin seemed amused at the name and raised an eyebrow at the redhead.

Donghyuck, noticing the judgement, rolled his eyes and scooted further from Jaemin. “Well, I have to call you two something when you’re grabbing throats in front of me like the predators that you are.” Jaemin laughed at the remark. “Why is Mark ‘Gaunty’ though? Also, what have you conjured to call me?” His eyes were squinting.

Donghyuck merely shrugged. “You two look all gaunt and slightly malnourished although his cheeks were even more hollow than yours, so I guess that’s why he got the nickname. And you’re ‘CC,’ short for _calm and crazy_.” ‘ _For an abductor, they’re being damn too chill. Well, in their defense, for an abducted, I am being too calm and pliant._ ’ Jaemin just guffawed out loud.

Standing up, he gave Donghyuck a firm but still kind stare. “I hope you don’t do something as reckless as leave. It will really break our hearts.” It was a simple statement but Donghyuck felt the authority. ‘ _I suddenly had half the heart to go against that._ ’ But he knows that there are more than meets the eyes and he felt like the boys he had met so far have more than layers of secrets. ‘ _Secrets which apparently involve Jeno._ ’

“I’m scared…” He whispered to himself. He’s not really sure what scared him the most, is it the possibility of dying here or learning that Jeno is worse than his nightmares combined? He cannot decipher which is it but he hopes it’s not the latter. Jeno surely isn’t like the evil which they implied he might be, right? ‘ _No, no. Not when he wakes me up in the middle of the night to ask for cuddles because his cats refused to. No. Not when he smiles that beautiful smile of his whenever I zone out when I couldn’t get his jokes. No. No._ ’ “No! He’s not a terrible person like that! I am sure of it!” He burst out due to the influx of his overwhelming emotions. He was met with a scoff from the doorway.

Donghyuck snapped his head towards the source of the voice and glared at him. “Shut up ‘Gaunty.’” He taunted back but the other doesn’t even seem to be fazed with the insult, apart from a slight raise of his eyebrow, and sat on the bed beside him. “That’s quite an ingenious nickname, if you ask me.” ‘Gaunty,’ whom he now learned to be as Mark, sat beside them. ‘ _Seems like Jaemin tattled on me._ ’ He rolled his eyes as he heard the laughter from outside his door.

Mark turned solemn though and it honestly doesn’t help his nerves with the truth they are dropping on him. “Seeing as how _attached_ you became with Lee Jeno, I’ll assume that you’ll react badly with this.” There was sympathy in his voice and Donghyuck cannot take how kindly the other is looking at him so he avoided looking straight into his eyes. “Just get it done and over with. And to think that I got abducted in a supposedly _perfect_ world.” He mumbled the last sentence to himself.

“Sorry to break it to you buddy, but absolute perfection doesn’t exist; especially not in this world. First, I would like to properly introduce myself, I’m Mark Lee. You are?” A hand was offered but Donghyuck merely looked at it despite the itch in him to take it and be cordial. ‘ _Yeah, cordial with my captors. What an amusing scenario._ ’ “Lee Donghyuck.” He simply offered.

Mark hesitantly took back his hand and placed it on his lap. “So, Donghyuck, I would like to tell you the twisted functioning of this world.” “And what does that mean for me? I couldn’t care less if it’s not as perfect as it seems-” Donghyuck started to retort back but was cut off as soon as he opened his mouth. “Oh but you do. You have _Potential_ , don’t you?”

The mention of the forgotten term perked up his ears. ‘ _How did he know? Jeno told me that others can’t distinguish a regular new folk and a newcomer with potential._ ’ Mark must have read the falling of his expression as he followed up not moments later with a hand atop of Donghyuck’s tensely laid on the latter’s lap. “Jeno couldn’t have told you that- no, he would never tell you the truth. Everyone that’s living in these woods are _Potentials_ who have gone against the system.” Mark looked grim as he told all of these to Donghyuck.

Donghyuck, being the law-abiding citizen which he is ~~not~~ , raised an eyebrow. “So technically, you’re all rebels, _fugitives_ even, that thinks they are above the system.” He sassily remarked which earned him an exhausted sigh. He almost felt remorse seeing the weariness marring the other’s whole being. ‘ _They look rather worn out; even Jaemin who’s slightly better than Mark looks unfocused._ ’ He bit his lips. “This won’t do. Come with me.” Mark stood up, motioning for him to do the same.

Instead of following suit, Donghyuck ruffled his red locks and glared at the other, daring to defy his captor. “I will show you your, and _our_ , possible disposition once Lee Jeno deemed it fit to dispose of you, although I think it’ll be my time soon.” The last part was mumbled under his breath but Donghyuck caught it loud and clear and he doesn’t like the underlying meaning that simple statement has entailed.

So he stood up and followed suit. ‘ _Let’s give his evidences some chance. This world has been getting too strange anyways._ ’

Everything is so painful. The old cottage is painful to look at, the lack of ornaments to comfort the distressed occupants is painful to stomach, and the writhing figure lying on the middle of the room on a mattress which looked like it was haphazardly strewn across the room is clenching hard in his chest. But he can’t do anything; he can’t do anything apart from motioning the redhead closer who seemed appalled at the grotesque scene unfolding.

Biting back the tears which are threatening to fall, he kneeled in front of the bloodied disposition Xiaojun is in. “Hey there. I’ve brought the newest _Potential_.” He tried hard to pull up the corners of his mouth into a tight smile but failed miserably, conjuring a pained grimace instead worsened with the glistening of his eyes. The frail boy smiled back, the light in his eyes yet to be extinguished, and looked behind him and then looking delighted upon the sight of the newcomer. “He looks so pretty Mark. Hi there, I’m Xiaojun!” The bedridden boy tried to wave his hand as joyously as his failing body could let him and it broke everyone’s heart to see him trying even at the brink of death.

As he was wiping the tears that managed to escape his control, warmth filled his sides as Donghyuck sat beside him and took Xiaojun’s hand in his. “Hi Xiaojun, I’m Donghyuck. You can call me ‘Hyuck’ though. Fun fact, only three people in this world – well, in my life since I came from a different world and the people there are different – anyway, apart from you, only two others get to call me that. First was my mom, and then cute little Jisung from across the street from my old world. So be grateful that you’re handsome. Do you want to date?” It caught everyone by surprise how lighter the air has become that it even led to Xiaojun laughing his bleeding lungs out.

“Oh dear! As much as I would love to take on your offer, I don’t think Yangyang over there would be too please about the prospect.” The bedridden man coughed as he laughed, causing blood to sputter slightly. Mark grabbed some tissues to wipe blood from his companion and apologize as well but before he could have the chance to offer apologies, Donghyuck took the tissues silently and wiped the sick man’s lips who looked remorseful as well. He smiled at Xiaojun and winked. “I know I am so charming and humorous, but let’s control those laughs, I don’t want a prospective boyfriend literally coughing his lungs into me. I want to accept you unconditionally, but that’s getting comfortable too early in our relationship; let’s take things one step at a time.” Xiaojun smiled and tightened his grip on Donghyuck’s hand.

Happiness was rare to occur in their part of the world. They took solace with each other, but as the system slowly and swiftly took each after the other, fear and anxiety became the predominant emotions that kept on lurking. That’s why Mark was terribly hesitant and against the idea of taking in another newcomer in fears of pulling them into the mess created by their radical behavior and thinking. But looking at Donghyuck offering comfort to Xiaojun as well as the rest of the boys who scooted closer to the futon as they joked around while Yangyang pretended to be affronted at Xiaojun and Donghyuck’s flirting, Mark felt something inside him spark once more.

“It’s such a pity that my end is near when I met you; I would have loved to become even closer to you, dear Hyuck.” Xiaojun let out sorrowfully when the noise died down. Everyone in the room hung their head as they understand the imminent end and could do nothing about it. Mark and Yangyang shared a look as they both look away, unable to see the life that’s slowly leaving out of their friend’s body.

“How dare you claim such an atrocity? I literally just proclaimed my affections for you?” Donghyuck playfully bantered against the dying male. Xiaojun merely smiled at that, albeit extremely sadly. “I wish I could banter with you more but I am slowly losing the strength to even move my head, so please forgive me.” Despite that, the fire in Donghyuck’s eyes refused to fizzle. Everyone, aside from the two, exchanged looks. “It’s alright, we’ll figure a way around it.” He smiled brightly before turning to Yangyang. “Yangyang, isn’t it? Be prepared as I woo your man.” Yangyang grinned as he huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Oh you wish.”

Coughing, Mark grabbed the attention of Donghyuck to signal him that they should proceed to talk. “It seems like that’s our cue darling. I’ll be seeing you then? I hope that when I come over, the sheets won’t be as bold as my hair color.” Donghyuck flashed a charming smile at the frail man who blinked tiredly and nodded with a smile on his face.

The two stood up and Mark nodded at Hendery, Yangyang, Winwin, and Ten, who returned the gesture. Donghyuck did the same, albeit jollier – as if the house is not reeking of blood and death, and hopped beside Mark. He looked back and beamed, “I’ll be seeing you again! Wait for me!” He called out to Xiaojun who chuckled weakly and nodded.

Once the two were a good few miles from the cottage, Mark can now see how the redhead’s expression has fallen. Slowly halting in their tracks, Mark scanned the area and upon finding the bench he and Taeyong had built years prior, he silently led the now stoic male with him to take a rest and elaborate the harsh reality he had just thrusted upon the newcomer.

He did not dare open the conversation though. He’s probably fearful, anxious, of how it might sound and even he cannot accept the atrocities which he and his friends kept on suffering. He’s also terrified that what he’s about to utter might drive the newcomer away which might lead to an even more tragic death. ‘ _Can I handle to cause an even more tragic death once he runs away after hearing the truth? Lee Jeno will never let such an error slip; not in this utopian world of his._ ’

“Jeno’s behind this?” Donghyuck took him out of his thoughts. The boy’s voice is fragile, unsure, and shaky as well as his eyes and Mark felt something in him clench. He willed it down. “How did you come up with that conclusion?” He decided to play with time. This is also his chance to assess the newcomer; understand where his intellectual strengths and weaknesses lies to be able to help him maneuver when the inevitable finally approaches.

Donghyuck remained his gaze fixated on his lap as he played with his fingers. “I’ve pieced two and two together. You and Jaemin were so vexed at the mere mention of his name. Then you took me to Xiaojun, saying that you’ll show me the _truth_ instead. It doesn’t take a genius to piece the puzzle pieces. But please tell me… why and how?” He looked straight into Mark’s eyes, confusion, pain, and distraught swirling inside his brown orbs. Mark averted his gaze.

“It was decades ago,” Mark started, his eyes staring far ahead as his face morph into something akin to apathy. He’s falling into the endless mantra of retelling the twisted and dark beginnings of the world; he’s falling into the endless mantra of retelling the torturous and cruel manner in which the world acquires its _perfection_. ‘ _Just like Taeyong taught us._ ’

_Taeyong brushed his wet hair away from his gaunt face. The rain outside was merciless and Mark had his eyebrows furrowed as he ran to the elder with towels in his hands. Taeyong smiled at the younger as he took the towels to dry himself. The smile quickly dissipated though as the elder was suddenly engulfed into a fit of coughs. Coughs which brought blood from the elder. Mark was mortified._

_“I’m going to call Johnny-” Taeyong held him in place as he shook his head. He led the younger to the couches as they sat despite the elder being drenched from head to toe. “Why don’t we change your clothes first? This will worsen your condition.” Mark tried to at least bargain with the elder but he merely shook his head. “I’m not going to get better Mark. It doesn’t matter what we do, what we eat, or anything, I’m not getting better and so is Johnny.”_

_He was affronted. ‘_ How dare Taeyong say that? _’ He thought to himself. He cannot understand why his friend is already giving up when he can still go and talk to Jeno to possibly change the latter’s mind. “Why are you saying that? I will go to Jeno right now to ask for the cure-” He was frantic seeing the lack of will from the elder._

_“He won’t do that. He’ll never do that. In the first place, dear Mark, we were meant to die.” Taeyong smiled sadly in resignation. Mark was confused, lost, and heartbroken but he let the elder continue, to fill in his ignorance. “It was decades ago. Johnny and I were under Taeil’s care then when he told us this. Our original home wasn’t supposed to be devoid of color and this world isn’t supposed to be completely bright and colorful.”_

_Mark, to say the least, was taken aback and is unknowing of how to deal with the atrocious idea. However, considering how much he had gone through within the span of three months, he swallowed the possibility and kept mum. “Lee Jeno is a genius.” Taeyong started which made the younger furrow his eyebrows. That was a given, a known fact, considering how elaborate the society he founded is, so he doesn’t understand the relevance of retelling it. But Mark bit back his tongue and let his friend continue._

_Taeyong looks absolutely weary as he leaned back in the ratty couch. “He was merely seventeen when he found a way to discriminate colors from darkness, he was eighteen when he built this world and deprived ours of light, he was nineteen when he managed to control the citizens like a puppeteer, and he was twenty when he managed to broke the secrets towards immortality.”_

_And Mark understood the implications underneath the weariness. With wide eyes, he felt his blood froze upon the realization. “You loved him, didn’t you?” His voice was shaky as he struggled to keep his eyes trained into the elder’s. Taeyong looked pained as he held his younger friend’s eyes. “Everyone did Mark, you have to understand that.”_

_It was simple but it prevented the tears that started to pool in his eyes from falling down. He was confused at the implications. Taeyong seemed to understand as he further explained. “In the early days of the system, Jeno found that the system he created was unstable. The barrier he put up cannot thoroughly contain both the darkness and colors in a single place especially during certain intervals of time. It seemed as if the barrier he created was slightly semi-permeable which caused the darkness and colors to diffuse from time to time.” Taeyong stated as he stared ahead. His musings were cut short when he was taken over by a fit of coughs. Blood continued to appear and Mark doesn’t know what to do. Taeyong shook his head and wiped his blood-stained lips with his sleeves._

_“That’s where we come in. Every few months, he’ll take individuals from the other side to lure into this world; ‘to maintain balance,’ as he always preferred to call it when I confronted him before. But the thing is, the individuals whom he likes to pertain as ‘_ Potentials _’ are the ones who will eventually orchestrate his downfall.” Taeyong was looking blue by the time he took a pause that Mark jumped up to grab a fresh new set of clothes. Taeyong stopped him though, shaking his head and holding the younger in his place. “Let me finish first.” Mark looked at the elder sternly before firmly removing the grip from his arm. “I’ll call Johnny if you persist. Get changed first and then we’ll continue talking.” At that, Taeyong relented and nodded._

_After getting Taeyong out of his drenched clothes and relocating themselves into the elder’s room, Taeyong continued in his tale. “How will the Potentials cause his downfall?” Mark asked the elder after pulling up the blanket up until the elder’s chin. Taeyong breathed deeply before answering. “Because unlike the original residents who had chosen him, he cannot take control of these newcomers’ nervous system.” Mark was confused._

_Taeyong, acting uncharacteristically stern and firm, gripped Mark’s forearm as he stared into the younger’s soul; as if what he was about to say was the most important part of all and that it shouldn’t be forgotten. “Do you know why the citizens are so compliant and view free-thinking as something abhorrent? It is because Lee Jeno injected a serum which latches on the nerves, especially the Central Nervous System. He monitors the cognitive processes of each individual and coded his algorithm to alter any signs of radical ideologies which is the key to tumble his system. Hadn’t it occurred to you that the first thing which was said to you back at the Salon was ‘you’ll be happier as long as you don’t think?’ Hadn’t it occurred how odd it is that they kept on saying that with such large smiles? Because that is how they are programmed to be. They are left with the functions but is restricted in complex cognitive processes. The system is very complicated and only Lee Jeno can decipher it.” “And where do we come in in that whole mess of puppeteering?” Mark asked, thoroughly shaken by the truth he is learning; as if learning that Jeno wasn’t the sweet darling that he saw him as wasn’t enough._

_Taeyong coughed once more and more blood came out of his lips. He took his handkerchief from the bedside table and wiped the blood from his mouth. Mark is concerned but refused to prevent the elder from continuing, knowing that it will irk Taeyong if he did anything of the sorts. After taking another deep breath, Taeyong returned his sharp and strong gaze into the younger. “We cannot be controlled.” He started and Mark swear that the smile which lingered on the elder’s face did not sit well with his young mind. “And someday, when the time is ripe, all the enlightened Potentials will rise up and bring back the darkness here and color there, in order to bring back the stability the worlds used to possessed.”_

Donghyuck looked dubious. He believes Mark, he really does, but the narrative is incomplete. ‘ _There’s something missing._ ’ “I’m sorry but I don’t see any problem with him controlling the minds of his citizens if it meant peace and harmony.” He admitted to the other who seem unfazed despite his obvious apathy regarding the subject. “Of course, it’s human nature to not care unless it directly affects you, isn’t it?” Mark stated. The redhead knows that it’s supposed to be a taunt but he felt nothing of the sorts. He doesn’t reply and continued on staring at the other who kept on staring far ahead, to somewhere or something, he’s not sure.

After a short pause, Mark stared at him, eyes firm but not glaring. “Donghyuck, haven’t it occurred to you that to the countless possible people to lure here, why is it that there’s a specific criterion to be considered as Potential? Didn’t it bug you that from all of the possible individuals in your little village, it was you who was chosen?”

Now that it was mentioned, it returned Donghyuck back into his musings when he first came here. Jeno never really expanded the concept of being qualified to enter the new world, it’s just, he can and that’s the end of it. “Is it because we’re misfits? Even in our world, we don’t fit in, isn’t that it?” His voice turned soft upon the realization that he hastily agreed into the prospect of exploring a world beyond his without second thoughts.

Mark’s gentle smile gave it all and Donghyuck understood. “He feeds into the loneliness and longing of individuals; that’s how he chose us. However, it comes with a price, a price he knows too well that’s why he forbids exit from this world in fear of a possible uprising.” Donghyuck furrowed his eyebrows. ‘ _I don’t like how that sounds._ ’ “What’s the price?” “Misfortune. For every soul removed from the other side of the coin, a local of the same side will suffer.”

At the revelation, Donghyuck felt like a bucket of ice water was poured on him. His mind flashed back into precious, pretty, young Jisung from the house across his. “And that local is someone dear to the individual with Potential, isn’t it?” He pieced two and two together and felt his breath hitch upon the affirmation from the gaunt boy.

Panic surged through his veins and he stood up, only to sit back down upon the realization that there’s no way he could affirm of his friend’s condition. “That’s why our previous world is slowly losing life and affection; after suffering so much parasitism, it can only hold on so long. It was near on collapse when the unimaginable happened; a Potential managed to return.”

Shock and disbelief washed over Donghyuck as he glared at the other man. “Don’t glare at me, I’m telling you how to check on your dearests back in your home.” Mark didn’t even bother to fight the newcomer’s harsh glare. “Darling, time is ticking, shouldn’t we get on with it?” Donghyuck sassed back, still refusing to back down as worry for his younger friend grew with each passing second. This time, Mark glared at the redhead, obviously tired and weary of being cut off every single time. “You’ll listen to this or we’ll never know how to save your friend should the need arises.” Donghyuck pursed his lips and begrudgingly sat back down.

Mark returned his gaze on the direction of the woods he was previously staring at. “So? How did that person managed to return when it was inherently made impossible?” The redhead prodded as Mark refused to return as soon as they were settled. The latter decided to finally humor the newcomer after a few more beats. “Nobody knew.” Donghyuck almost erupted in anger if not for the next few words. “However, when she broke the laws Lee Jeno established, she left a rip in the barrier. It’s big enough to at least see a part of the previous world but not large enough to support another anomaly. That’s beside the point though, the question you’re supposed to ask is not ‘How,’ it’s supposed to be, ‘Who.’”

Donghyuck was taken aback at the proposition. ‘ _Sure, that woman is a darn genius for going against the system, but why should I care who she was?_ ’ His confusion and view on the matter must have reflected on his face for the sigh which came out of the other man. “Idiot. My goodness, is this really your son Kara?” Mark sighed once more and palmed his forehead in exasperation. Donghyuck’s mind seemed to tick.

‘ _Kara… That’s my mother’s name. N-no, it can’t be-?_ ’ “It was my mom? It was my mom who managed to rip that barrier?” Donghyuck’s eyes were wide and his body was turned to face Mark fully. Mark stared him down before nodding. “Yes. Hasn’t it occurred to you that you’re the only one with blue eyes in this realm?” Now that it was pointed out, Donghyuck finally thought back to times, even back then, when he would look into the mirror and find strange colored set staring back at him.

“Is that why father hated me? Why everybody was hostile? Because I was different?” His mood turned sour and somber. The nasty glares he suffered since childhood, the snarls and harsh whispers from his neighbors, the harsh physical punishments he was forced to undergone without the proper explanation for the grounds for such inhumanity. ‘ _It was all because of this whole anomaly?_ ’

Mark looked apologetic but didn’t try to offer any consolation as he is aware that it will only further insult the redhead. Instead, he averted his gaze as he tried to answer the question to the best of his abilities and knowledge. “I don’t think that it was your innate difference from the rest of them, from the rest of us, rather, Lee Jeno must have something to do with it; he wants the threat to be near him for him to quarantine it and possibly eliminate it when he can no longer contain it. For that’s who we all are, we are anomalies who are capable of possessing colors like the old times but is a great threat to his life’s greatest work.”

“But why these deaths? How does he even do all of this? Is he the one behind Xiaojun’s pain?” Mark nodded grimly at the questions, agreeing to both. “It’s the death serum he has injected all of us with when he brought us here. Since our bodies naturally breaks down the ‘Colored’ serum he initially invented to take absolute personal control, he figured that he needed something to ensure that apart from your mother, nobody will wreak havoc in his perfect utopia. Kara left a big rip on the barrier that color kept on seeping out so Lee Jeno created it. The serum works like a bomb which detonator is in Lee Jeno’s possession; he’ll kill us whenever he deemed fit and necessary. It’s just fucking terrible how not even one month into Renjun’s death, Xiaojun is already suffering and is on his deathbed. He’s fucking punishing me, I swear. All these deaths I was made to witness, it’s so tiring. Can’t he just kill me already? I don’t know what I will do if even Chen Le is taken.” Tears were pooling inside Mark’s eyes as the memories of his dead friends’ smiles filled his head. His chest constricted as his breathing turned shallow and a lump formed in his throat.

Donghyuck, despite being sassy and sarcastic, felt the extreme pain the other is bearing in that gaunt being of his. Without thinking twice, he slid closer to Mark who’s crouching and covering his eyes to prevent the tears and sobs from escaping. He wrapped his arms around the shaking boy tenderly. “I don’t know who Renjun was and who Chen Le is, although I’m sure I’ll know him soon enough, but Xiaojun’s an absolute darling, we will do anything we can to debunk this whole mystery and bring down the aristocracy Jeno. _We’ll save Xiaojun_.” He’s extremely determined despite the fond affections he felt for the blond. ‘ _Xiaojun’s the living and nearly dying manifestation of all these atrocities I am getting told. I can’t just turn my back on such a lovely person._ ’

Mark looked up and wiped his tears hesitantly before scoffing as he untangled himself from the redhead. “I’ve been here for years Lee Donghyuck. I’ve seen people come and go; I’ve done everything and researched everything to stop even these killings at least. I’m not asking for balance to get restored; I just want my friends to stop dying. What makes you think that you’ll figure something out which I haven’t in the decades I’ve been here?” It was harsh and cutting but Donghyuck only huffed in response and pumped his chest with his newfound determination.

“I have to go back to little Jisung anyways, so bringing back this system, restoring balance, and finding something to deactivate those death serums in you will not only benefit you but me as well.” Donghyuck raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Mark, comprehending what his companion just uttered, stared at Donghyuck with wide eyes. “What do you mean _our_ death serums?” The latter tilted his head ironically. “I never had a mark nor scar resembling to yours.” He pointed at the small scar on Mark’s nape. The gaunt boy raised an eyebrow. “I never told you how they manifested in the body though.” “It’s not rocket science.” Donghyuck merely leaned back.

‘ _After so many deaths and failures, this time, we might actually save us all. Kara, you’ve brought back light in your world, maybe your son could bring back light into our cursed lives now._ ’

Marching towards the City Hall, Donghyuck refused to look back and entertain the shouting of his friends who are trying to prevent him from acting recklessly. Tears are steadily flowing across his face as his now brown hair kept on slapping against his forehead as he kept on blindly trekking the way up the City Hall to confront Lee _fucking_ Jeno. Just as he was to ascend the stairs to the City Hall, a hand pulled him back and caused him to collide to a chest he’s now well acquainted with.

Trying to pull his now thin wrist from the ebony haired male, Donghyuck let out a sob as he failed to do so. “Let me go Mark. I’m killing that bastard.” He croaked out, sorrow and anger dripping as he hiccupped. “Everything was going well! Xiaojun was getting better! I saw it with my own two eyes! He was already back on his feet, running around with Yangyang!” He was borderline wailing by then, hysterical and screaming at Mark as he kept on struggling to be freed from the latter’s now quite bulked body.

Mark kept him firmly on his chest as he rubbed soothing circles on the brunette who is yet to calm down. The two paid no heed to the growing crowd around them nor to the staring and whisperings. They were busy crying and trying to ease the excruciating pain.

Donghyuck felt betrayed. ‘ _The world gave me hope and then crushed it just when I thought tomorrow was finally coming._ ’ He found a way to at least reconnect with young Jisung who was relieved to at least see flashes of him in the woods. He learned that with ample exposure to their home world, Xiaojun was getting better despite the death serum getting activated. He saw that, finally, after years of being malnourished, the guys were able to gain weight. He finally witnessed Mark laugh after months of stoic interactions after he managed to wind Lele up in the air with one of their traps hidden in the woods.

Everything was getting perfect that he no longer wishes to return to their home world. When everything came crashing down. The mirage is finally over. Earlier that morning, after cooking their breakfast, Hendery came crashing their door, face flushed and his breathing harried. There were tears in his eyes as he shakily announced the death of their friend.

Time stopped for everyone. However, it only took a millisecond for the world to come crashing back down after stilling in mid-air. They rushed to the other clearing where the other cottage was located and witnessed how Yangyang brokenly clung to Xiaojun’s spasming body. The ill male was sputtering blood. Donghyuck felt the image imprint in his head and he can never be the same.

_“Thanks for showing me the light even for a little while. Turns out I really would have to leave you all.”_

The dying male’s last words were broken, soft, and almost nonexistent yet it imprinted its mark onto their hearts. Donghyuck will never be alright as he remembered the life slowly leave his friend’s body as Yangyang stilled together with it, his body equally bathed in blood. ‘ _Yet Mark was forced to relive this a thousand of times._ ’ He felt broken at the thought and clung tighter on the ebony haired male’s tattered shirt.

They are sore thumbs to the beauty and aesthetic possessed by the people of this utopia. They were rags amidst the jewel and they were books amidst the rainbows. Mark consoled him wordlessly as the elder caressed his head while holding him close. Donghyuck continued on wailing at the pain of their loss. Despite being buried into Mark’s chest, he felt the others approach them as the harsh sunlight that was biting on his skin disappeared and he heard Chen Le’s broken sobs accompanying his own.

Pulling from Mark’s embrace, he approached the youngest and took him in his embrace as well as Yangyang who was silently crying beside them. The three fell into a huge lump of crying messes as everyone else stared and judged their broken dispositions. ‘ _They cannot understand, they will never understand as they no longer have the capacity to understand._ ’

“Isn’t this quite a sight. Every single ex-lover of mine gathered here today and are making quite a scene.” Their ministrations were cut as a familiar and deeply detested presence entered their periphery. Donghyuck looked up and saw the ominous presence which is Lee Jeno. His whole body stiffen as his face morphed into a snarl and he gently let go of Yangyang and Chen Le who were still hiccupping a little.

He felt Mark grip his wrist as he took a step forward up but he merely turned back and offered the elder a comforting smile as he removed the hand which was stopping him. “I’ll be fine.” It was low, barely audible, but he knows that Mark caught it. The elder shook his head. “ _We_ will be.” He tightened his grip and Donghyuck was surprised as it was Mark who pulled him up the steps towards the mad genius whose smile turned hostile and sinister.

“Look at you Mark, all grown up now, quite literally. The last time that I remembered, you all were gaunt and skinny, but now… Donghyuck did a great job ruining my barrier. I’m impressed but unamused dear one.” Jeno’s smile slip off and the only thing remaining is anger and hostility. The two stopped a few steps below and stared up at Lee Jeno’s condescending figure.

Donghyuck bit his lip at the newfound knowledge that they haven’t been discrete as they thought they were. He swallowed his fear and uncertainness and proceeded to look and urge Mark. “This is your fight.” He whispered gently. Mark looked at him and smiled but the tightening of the grip on his hand was but a hint of his nerves.

“It’s been decades, hasn’t it, _Jen_?” Mark turned to the blond who merely raised an eyebrow in response. The friends look at each other upon hearing the unfamiliar name getting thrown. Now that Donghyuck squinted, behind the nonchalant charade Lee Jeno is playing, his face was twitching in obvious discomfort. “I see the game you’re playing Lee _Minhyung_. However, I would be deeply regretful to disappoint you; it won’t work.” The dictator lifted his head even further to heightened this illusion of being above them. But Donghyuck knew better as do Mark and their friends. ‘ _He’s cracking._ ’

“It is though.” Mark supplied. It was not a taunt despite seeming like that, but Donghyuck can see that it’s a mere statement of how despite Lee Jeno’s genius and perfection, he was not able to prevent a small thorn from ripping his hard-earned perfection. It was the small thorns he worked hard to eliminate that managed to rip the barrier which was his life’s greatest work. Donghyuck almost felt pity if not for the haunting image of Xiaojun’s spasming body imprinted on the back of his eyes.

Mark give Donghyuck’s hand a firm grip before letting go to close the distance between him and personification of madness whose face was slowly morphing into one of anger. “It is working for you can’t bear to see that the people who you were supposed to control and oppress managed to go under your watchful _eyes_ and broke the foundations you’ve laid for this _utopia_ little by little.” Mark stepped on the last step as Jeno took a step back. “That’s why you have worked hard to kill Xiaojun, because he was the last one on the thread of your corruption, your last ditch of effort in an attempt to assert dominance.” He closed the few steps between them and stared the dictator straight into his eyes. “ _You can’t control us anymore._ ”

The blond seemed to be aggravated at that and pushed back at Mark, almost making the latter fall from the steps and plummet to the ground had it not for Donghyuck who prevented his fall. “That’s it! I’ve had enough of your bullshit Lee Jeno!” He pulled Mark into his embrace as he stood tall, willing the dictator’s façade to crumble away. Mark gently patted the arms steadying him, a silent signal that it should be he who needs to finish things once and for all. ‘ _I have waited and have been patient for decades, I deserve this._ ’ Donghyuck relented and stepped back.

Jeno kept his glare on the two of them and Mark can see the trembling of his hands in anger. “It’s very bold of you to assume that I no longer have the control on you anymore.” He smirked and Mark felt pity surge in him. “It’s sad that despite your intellect, you really cannot perceive so much.” He lifted a hand and place it on the dictator’s shoulder. “It’s so sad to think that the reason you deprived the other side of light is due to your inferiority; you cannot accept that Kara never loved you back despite all this glory.” Mark’s grip tightened as his face morphed into one of seriousness.

Donghyuck whipped his head to the elder at the newfound information. ‘ _Wait, Lee Jeno loved my mother?_ ’ He then turned his surprised self to look at Jeno and the latter’s trembling lips and shining eyes were nothing short of confirmation. Jeno tried on prying Mark’s hand on his shoulder but to no avail. “Remove your filthy hands off me!” Panic was already evident on his handsome face and every citizen who were out and watching flinched upon witnessing their dear leader lose his composure. Mark and Donghyuck shared a look and a smile.

Mark returned his attention on Jeno who was hellbent on removing the former’s hand from his shoulder. Finally taking pity on the panicking man, he relented and removed his grip on the dictator’s shoulder. “It’s so sad that despite the perfection you aimed for, you haven’t even thought of building protection for a possibility of an uprising.” Jeno glared at him as he dusted his shoulders. “That’s because an uprising will never happen. I own these people’s nervous systems, who the fuck do you think will be able to think about protesting?” The mad genius smirked as he tried on steering the conversation to his own advantage.

But the three of them knew better; Lee Jeno had been careless and despite his genius, he’s no military captain nor a good strategist. He is a mad genius but still a human nonetheless. “ _Jen_ , your utopia has never been perfect nor will it ever be perfect.” The statement was low, something that can easily be unheard but it reached their ears just fine and the reality which Lee Jeno has put off for almost a century finally crashed down. It aggravated him.

Pulling another of his countless controls out of his pocket, Donghyuck widened his eyes seeing what it’s for. ‘ _It’s for Mark._ ’ Understanding the gravity this entails, he jumped on his feet only to arrive a second too late; Lee Jeno has initiated the activation of the death serum in Mark. “You’ve lived long enough Lee _Minhyung_ , it’s time to end your suffering now.” It was low but everyone heard it.

Mark felt a punch in his stomach and he crouched down as an onset of acid rose up his esophagus. ‘ _Three decades later, here we are. How painful it is, to die like this. Yet, my friends suffered far worse._ ’ Tears pooled in his eyes as pain engulfed his whole being.

Memories flashed through his mind like an old movie. The first time he entered this world, the first time learning the truth, Taeyong’s, Johnny’s, Kun’s, Doyoung’s, Renjun’s, Xiaojun’s, and many more deaths – his heartbreaks. But there were good ones amidst the darkness, like fireflies in the night sky, and he remembered the laughs, the bickering, the late-night talks, as well as Donghyuck’s smiles when they all thought that Xiaojun managed to escape the clutches of death. ‘ _It’s such a shame that I will never see Donghyuck’s favorite neighbor._ ’

“Mark! Donghyuckie!” A familiar yet unexpected voice cut through the panicking crowd. Everyone went silent and Mark forced himself to look up. Donghyuck felt his breath hitch see the teenage boy who was beaming meters away from him. His lips tremble as he clutched Mark’s body closer to his. “Jisungie!” He called back which prompted the boy to thread across the crowd and sprint towards the people he cherished despite the rareness of their encounters.

The blue mop of hair halted on the bottom of the stairs seeing the blood which started on sputtering out of Mark’s mouth. Confusion engulfed him as he shook his head and ran ahead, failing to notice the anger and the man on the top of the stairs looking at everyone condescendingly. Upon reaching his friends and getting engulfed in countless hugs, he settled himself on holding Chen Le’s swollen being and looked at Mark who finally stopped vomiting blood. “I was supposed to brag to you about my blue hair but you are vomiting blood. What’s happening?” He looked at everyone with teary eyes. He then let go of Chen Le and put a hand on Mark’s head to check for the elder’s temperature.

Mark, whose body was feeling inflamed and aching, suddenly felt a huge wave of relief wash over him. He no longer felt the itch to gag his intestines nor do his body felt like it was being punched from all directions. Finally gathering his senses, his vision focused on Donghyuck’s tear-stricken face and then onto Jisung who was on the brink of tears as well. Wiping his lips of blood, he grinned up at his friends who looked confused. ‘ _I get it now._ ’ Sitting up, he gave the young boy a one-armed hug. “It’s nice to finally see you in the flesh Park Jisung.”

The partially forgotten dictator screamed in agony seeing the failure of his technology in front of his eyes. Donghyuck let go of Mark and stood in front of Jisung to shield him from the possibility of Lee Jeno’s wrath. Mark stood up as well, with the aid of Lucas and Hendery, looking at Jeno softly, like a parent to his child, with understanding. Jeno doesn’t seem to be too please as he continued to abuse the control and push it continuously, hoping that it’s merely having a temporary glitch. They all know that’s not the case. “Stop it _Jen_ , the serum has finally failed, your barrier has finally given out, and balance will eventually return.”

The gentle words seemed to further aggravate Jeno as he proceeded to growl and pull a syringe behind him. “You! You’re just like your father! You ruin every single good thing that I had! First, it was Kara, now it was my life’s work! You ought to die!” He launched himself at Donghyuck whom, instead of moving out of the way, firmly planted himself on his spot in fear of putting Jisung in danger. He fortunately caught the hand though before a possible poison entered his system.

He stared straight into Lee Jeno’s pitch black orbs and remained expressionless as he spoke. “ _It was you who ruined everything, Lee Jeno_. It was you who did not respect human democracy, it was you who violated basic human rights in order to feed on your genius, it was you who drove mother away, it was you who tortured the Potentials, it was you who killed every single one of us, it was you who killed Xiaojun, it was you who killed Renjun, one of the few people whom you cherished, and it will be you who will kill Jaemin, the remaining person whom you actually care about. Don’t push the blame on me when it is you keeps on ruining everything for yourself and it is solely your fault that you’ll die in Jaemin’s hands. Jaem.” He called behind the dictator and his friend emerged from the shadows, holding the exact same syringe Jeno was holding. Donghyuck used every bit of his strength to push Jeno away, and with the help of the element of surprise, managed to do so successfully.

Jaemin caged the blond in his arms firmly. “It’s been so long _Jen_.” There it was again, the nickname, but unlike Mark’s disappointed undertone, Jaemin’s use of it still has some of the affection he used to shower the male with and Jeno is aware of it. His eyes suddenly glistened as the familiar scent of vanilla which Jaemin possess invaded his senses and nostalgia hit him square in the chest.

“You know, I never stopped loving you. Neither did _he_. I could have forgiven you _Jen_ , I could have dropped everything, _we_ could have.” Jaemin started to whisper in Jeno’s ears but his grip started to tighten as he uttered the next few words. “But then you killed him. _You killed Renjun just to fuck Mark up_. You killed Renjun just for the kicks of it, to assert your bloody dominance when we’ve already scampered back into the woods and hid from your prying eyes. _You killed the last person who’ll betray you and now you also lost me as well_.”

Tears were flowing in both of their eyes but both is oblivious to it. Remorse finally settled on Lee Jeno’s face but forgiveness is no longer possible. Forgiveness, at this point, is detrimental. “I love you Jen, despite all your flaws, but you have to go. I’m not sorry for this.”

A prick was all it took before darkness consumed Lee Jeno.

Everyone went silent. Jaemin’s loud wail was the only thing which pierced the silence. They can’t believe it, after a century of utopia, awareness is slowly returning to the citizens. Their glassy perspective slowly clears away as darkness slowly ate the sunny skies. It was raining. Donghyuck held Mark close to him as they stared at Jaemin apologetically as he scooted away from Lee Jeno’s dead body.

Lucas let out a sigh and walked past them to take away Jaemin’s scarred being. Yangyang was not far ahead as he tailed the two who went inside the City Hall for refuge. Hendery and Ten looked at each other, prompting Winwin to help them remove the body out of the way. Jisung was looking at all of them confusedly until Chen Le took him and led him to one of the shops below. He was about to say something but decided otherwise seeing Mark and Donghyuck enveloped in each other’s arms, comforting each other under the heavy downpour which is foreign to the citizens who were shrieking in ignorance. ‘ _They’ll get used to it._ ’ Chen Le huffed and scooted closer to the younger.

Mark felt strange. There’s relief, sure, as he knows that everything will finally end, and the warmth which Donghyuck emits despite the downpour which he has grown unaccustomed of after three decades of not witnessing it, but he suddenly felt empty. After a long period of pain, death, and uncertainty, the knowledge that it finally ended has still yet to dawn on him. It also doesn’t help that the end is nothing like he ever envisioned; there is no celebration, no cheering, heck, it doesn’t even feel right because despite everything they’ve gone through, killing somebody, even if it were Lee Jeno, doesn’t sit well with him.

“It really has ended, huh?” Donghyuck broke the silence between them, speaking the unspoken. Mark merely hummed. The mental toll on the both of them was too much but knowing that it at least has ended is comforting their scarred souls. “So, what do we do now?” The younger asked, uncertainty lingering in the air. Mark huffed shakily before chuckling. “I honestly don’t know.”

Donghyuck laughed but did not let go. “I can’t believe you planned this large-scale assassination yet you’re telling me that you haven’t thought of what to do next?” He observed as the people began asking questions and frowning as well. ‘ _At least they got back their cognition._ ’ “They’ll fuck up this world now that there’s nobody to control nor lead them.” He remarked passively. Mark hummed, obviously uncaring. “Let’s go to the other side then, far from the hustle and bustle, but no longer living in fear.”

They stayed like that, under the rain, exhausted, weary, and empty. No longer under the mercy of a mad genius turned dictator, no longer living in an eternally sunny world, no longer oppressed. No more unprecedented premature deaths, no more immortality, just plain old lives spent.

No more utopia, just plain old faulty democracy.

**Author's Note:**

> So first and foremost, this has been a long ass ride. This journey has been extremely hard for me and writing this fic has been both a relief and a pain in my stressed college life. I really am apologetic for doing the prompt injustice as well as the vague motivations and causality. Apart from Donghyuck, I actually did a really bad job at writing this because for fuck's sake, I managed to cram this monstrosity in barely a week (because school and stuffs). I also had a hard time writing the angst because for some unknown reason, I just can't be sad.
> 
> There are a lot of plot holes and unclear motivations I failed to tackle (though I tried my very best), so please don't hesitate to leave a comment for clarifications (since I am an idiot who just managed to word barf this whole fic).
> 
> To the prompter, I'm really sorry for this injustice. T_T To the mods, thank you very much for this fest as well as the natural laxness it possessed. I wish to join the next one as well.


End file.
